OPUS Mag

Oct 4 Why Losing The 2016 Presidential Election Will Be The Best Outcome For The Republican Party

Let’s face it. The Republican party is a shit show. A shit show that the Republican party, essentially, created themselves. The whole debacle is reminiscent of a dumpster fire. So, who’s to blame? Well, I couldn’t really blame you for whoever you choose to place the blame with, there’s certainly more than enough to go around on the right side of the aisle. If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the 2016 election, though, you already knew that. Regardless of who you would like to blame for the course of this presidential election, if you just so happen to be Republican, this could actually be the best thing to ever happen to your party moving forward. How, you ask? Well, a couple of ways.

Look, if there was ever a Democrat that both sides of the aisle were more than a little concerned about, Hillary Clinton is certainly the one. Republicans desperately wanted President Barack Obama to be the one, for obvious reasons, but have obviously failed miserably. I don’t have to dive into every little thing surrounding Hillary Clinton because, again, if you’ve been paying any attention to this election cycle...I don’t have to keep repeating myself, do I?

Needless to say, there is more than enough of a chance that Hillary Clinton ends up blowing up in the Democratic party’s face and that leaves the Republican party the next three years to recollect what will be left of the GOP and come up with any sort of game plan that shows they still know what they’re doing over on that side of the aisle. I say that because Donald Trump being the Republican nominee for president clearly shows they haven’t a clue right now. Now, that’s not to stay they won’t figure it out in the near future but right now they look like the deer who stops in middle of the road while you’re driving and decides to jump on top of your car because everything is moving just a little too fast for them to make a clear-headed, conscious decision of what another alternative could be. So, what’s the next move for Republicans?

As of right now, there appear to only be two surviving members of the morally-conscious GOP and those two people are: Paul Ryan and Ben Sasse.

Paul Ryan, newly-appointed House Speaker, was one of the final members of the GOP to announce their support of Donald Trump as the Republican nominee but you always got the sense that someone was holding something of his for ransom to make the decision. Even after a “holdout” for his support, Ryan always gave off a vibe that translated as, “You guys are really going to make me do this?” Bob Woodson, veteran civil rights activist and Paul Ryan’s poverty/race mentor, said it best, “I’d say ‘weary martyr’ is a good way to describe [Paul Ryan].” Aside from that, Ryan has also been one of the level-headed Republicans “tired of divided government” and for anyone on either side of the aisle, that’s a remarkable stance for anyone in government to honestly have. The irony in his stance on government is what not only makes him a good choice for the 2020 election, but also brings me to the second viable option the Republican party has moving forward.

Ben Sasse, my favorite, has been the most vocal of the “anti-Trump” GOP and I think he might also be the only surviving member of the group as the rest appear to have already sold their soul. “I can’t support someone that I don’t think would take the oath of office in good faith,” Sasse said in June. June! He said this before a number of things that have since been revealed about Trump (not paying taxes for 18 years, unapologetic remarks about women, etc.). Aside from being a U.S. Senator and playing a key role in a number of non-profit organizations along the way, Sasse was also a college wrestler. For anyone that doesn’t know me, I can’t work with someone who hasn’t played any type of sport in their life. Seriously, I don’t even care what sport it was. If you’ve ever had to compete against someone who thought they wanted something as badly as you did and you had to go compete, head-to-head, to prove it? We will get along just fine. If not? Carry on, I don’t know you. So, Ben Sasse already passes the first step of my ‘human verification process.’ Lastly, members of his own party already want him out because of his refusal to endorse Trump so he’s clearly already being seen as a threat because he isn’t scared to ruffle a few feathers to reach a goal.

Here’s the thing that people may not believe about me, though I will never know why, but I will vote for anybody to be President of the United States if they can prove to me that they are a decent human being and they know what the hell they’re doing. That’s it. That is my only criteria when it comes to voting. Left, right, independent; I, frankly, don’t give a single shit. All of the ‘you have to declare what side of the country you stand with’ people need to understand how asinine you sound when you say that. Prove to me, and the rest of the country, that you would not only stand up for us in a time of need but also have a plan for moving forward. You do that? You have my vote, as I’m sure you also could with a lot of other people. Democrat or Republican.

E Pluribus Unum. Out of many, one.

(That one was for all you ‘Constitution lifers’ out there because you all drive me clinically mad.)

Look, it’s clear that the GOP’s attempts at trying to elect someone “less political” has gone completely awry and, for the most part, completely off the rails. Being the president is much more than a public school election or being the president of your college frat house. We’re talking about being in control of the free world and doing what’s right for the people of your country. You not only have to know what you’re doing but you also have to know how you will be doing it. I don’t think any president has ever truly figured it out, though, some of have done a pretty damn good job. Regardless, the Republicans may have to accept defeat in the 2016 election battle, but only to claim victory in 2020. If they can find anyone more suitable for the job, that is, and I mean anyone not named Donald Trump.

Coeur Noir is an autofiction novel written by Al Patron. The title is Haitian Creole for black heart or heart of black, in reference to the traits of the main protagonist, Nikolas Daniel...who may or may not be based on Al Patron himself. A coming of age novel Coeur Noir will evoke emotional reactions ranging from but not limited to crying & laughter, all while detailing a path to greatness for Al Pa...pardon...Nikolas Daniel.